NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers uniforms: Worst ever?

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Byron Leftwich's ribs weren't the only thing that took a hit on Sunday night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers also saw their hopes of catching Baltimore in the AFC North race dim in a 13-10 loss that left Pittsburgh (6-4) two games back of the Ravens (6-4) with six weeks left in the season.

Leftwich completed 18 of 39 passes for 201 yards and an interception while filling in for injured starter Ben Roethlisberger. Leftwich also ran for a touchdown but was sacked three times and was pounded into the turf countless others.

The 32-year-old insisted he was fine in the locker room, but the Steelers were so concerned they examined his ribs following a violent shot from Baltimore safety James Ihedigbo midway through the fourth quarter. Leftwich remained in the game but a last-gasp drive ended with a fumble.

The Steelers' uniforms also provoked groans, prompting this look, below, at (how to avoid) some of the worst uniform choices:

Pittsburgh Steelers uniforms: Worst ever?

How do you avoid embarrassing uniforms? Just avoid these pitfalls.

Storified by Digital First Media &middot; Mon, Nov 19 2012 10:48:39

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night in an important AFC North matchup, but the story, to someone just tuning in, was Pittsburgh's belated bumblebee-themed Halloween costumes  err, alternate uniforms.

Apexchange

Every time I see the Steelers striped bumblebee jerseys, I die a little on the inside -.-Mr. Solo Dolo

You are more likely to find a twinkie than someone who likes the steelers throwback jerseysKen Wicker

Alternate uniforms can be quite nice. They can break up the monotony of seeing the same uniforms over and over again, and can make http://shop.steelers.com//catalog/product/123300?na_ad=123434&amp;LgRfrrD=" class="">lots of money when they're sold in the team stores. Sometimes, they're just ugly. These uniform horror stories can be broken down into a few categories.

There was one small problem: Depending on what side of the players you were seeing, you may have seen two separate uniforms, as demonstrated here:

Sbnation

Horizontal stripes

Horizontal stripes should be avoided at all costs. Yes, it's understood that, in the case of the Steelers, these uniforms were once actually worn by the team. But in those days, those hideous jerseys were not seen by a national audience. Wearing them now, you'll look like either a prisoner, or like you are wearing your great-great grandfather's old pajamas . . .

Camouflage

The San Diego Padres, who share the city with the Marine Corps, pay tribute each year to the men in service by wearing camouflage jerseys. This is what they've come up with.

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What does it look like in action?

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Long story short: Want to express patriotism? Do something else.

Cartoons

A sorry trend in the 1990s, the practice of using a cartoon in the middle of a uniform, was a plague that was not specific to one sport. The Toronto Raptors decided to channel their inner Jurassic Park.

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On the ice, the expansion Anaheim Mighty Ducks, owned by the Disney Corporation at the time, naturally found that they should base their team around the famous movie and cartoon spinoff of the same name.

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Mighty Ducks - The First Face-Off Part 1bw13

Avoid whatever Oregon is doing

This cannot be stressed enough: The Oregon Ducks do not have a uniform. They have http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201204/oregon-ducks-give-nike-ceo-sunglass-tribute" class="">512 combinations of uniforms. They are the https://www.google.com/search?q=lady+gaga&amp;hl=en&amp;tbo=d&amp;rlz=1C1LENP_enUS473US473&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=LXCqUNLpC8K-0AHa1oGICA&amp;ved=0CAQQ_AUoAA&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=643#hl=en&amp;tbo=d&amp;rlz=1C1LENP_enUS473US473&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=1&amp;q=lady+gaga+outfits&amp;oq=lady+gaga+outfits&amp;gs_l=img.3..0l7j0i5l3.108658.110048.0.110162.8.7.0.1.1.0.67.357.7.7.0...0.0...1c.1.M472wmvNl9A&amp;pbx=1&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;fp=14f9f05aae805121&amp;bpcl=38625945&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=643" class="">Lady Gaga of organized sports. If you try and out-Orgeon Oregon, you'll go bankrupt very quickly. Here is a small sampling of their various uniforms:

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Footbasket

Oregonlive

Oregonlive

Spokesman

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When crafting a jersey to wear (and sell), make sure to take some care so that they won't be the butt of many jokes in the future. And if you're creating an alternate jersey  on second thought, don't. The ones you're wearing should look nice enough as it is.

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